Curiosity
by Wisdom Rose
Summary: In Half Blood Prince, Harry chances Draco from the Great Hall, demanding answers. He eventually injures him severely. However, if he had wanted answers to other questions as well, the scene could have gone very differently. Harry/Draco


Harry clutched onto the molding of the wall, his nerves making his legs shake. Adrenaline pumped in his chest and lungs, his heart frantic from his chase. He had followed Draco from The Great Hall, instinct telling him that he was guilty. Of what, he wasn't sure. But something made raw panic and fear appear on Draco's face and Harry had a strong need to know why. Suspicion was most of it. That's what he told himself repeatedly all the way there. However, he knew there was something else underneath. Something like curiosity at what was going on with Draco. Something like concern.

Pushing open the door to the bathroom, he moved slowly in, his wand staying in his pocket. His eyes scanned the dark, damp bathroom, stilling when he heard a noise. A quiet, choked sob escaped from one of the stalls and Harry stilled, suddenly feeling like he was intruding. He knew Draco would be livid to find him there and if he stayed any longer unarmed, he would be sure to regret it. But something kept him there. Taking a few brave steps towards the stall, he kept his feet out of sight and pressed his hand to the door. Why he didn't just turn around and leave, he wasn't sure.

But Harry knew what it was like to feel this alone. No matter what Draco was going through, he knew what emotions he had to be feeling. Isolation, resentment, fear, loneliness, it was all so familiar. And he couldn't just walk away from that. Not when so many had walked away from Harry in the same situation. He leaned then, staring at the grains of the stall door in concentration before clearing his throat. "Draco? Are you okay?"

Draco ran through the corridor away from the Great Hall, his shoes hitting the tiled floor solidly as he did so. His jaw was clenched tightly, cold sweat running from his forehead to his chin. His hand clutched his wand so tightly he was worried he'd snap it, holding it out in front of him defensively. "Nox." He breathed out, his voice cracking as he did so. As the wand's light diminished, he pushed into the nearest bathroom, his chest heaving. Hurrying into a stall, he collapsed against the wall, clutching his chest with his wand hand. How had it gotten to this point? He had wanted to do right by his family, by the Dark Lord, by Snape. But all he had done was cause disappointment wherever he turned. Was he not brave enough? Cunning enough?

Deep down, he knew it was simply wrong. He didn't want to kill Dumbledore. Didn't want to kill the man who so many looked up to, that he never admitted he often looked to for security. The man was the most powerful wizard in the world after all, anyone could see that. For all the talk he gave, Draco wasn't stupid. He realized the power Dumbledore had and how much he held with his position. No matter what side he fought, he had never been completely blind. He didn't want to be that defining moment. Not in that way. He wanted to make his father proud, wanted to feel he belonged, but was this the price? He had almost killed one of his classmates. A perfectly innocent girl who never should have been involved.

And people were starting to become suspicious. Especially Potter. Harry was watching him, he could see that clear as day. And it made his stomach tighten in every way he didn't wish it to. It tightened in fear, in anxiety, in guilt…and in intrigue. Part of him wished Harry was following him for an entirely different reason. He shook his head roughly then at the thought, slamming his hand against the wall of the stall. He never would. Potter would never, ever think of him that way, he knew. And he didn't want him to. Right? He didn't want those feelings, he didn't want them reciprocated. He wanted to forget him. He wanted to _hate _him. Maybe it would hurt less. Maybe he would feel less. But all he felt was this pain. This searing, sharp, overwhelming pain in his stomach, his head, his heart. Pressing a hand to his chest, he rubbed the heel of his palm into it, shaking his head again.

Harry Potter wasn't to be trusted. That was one fact that Draco knew, and as he felt that tap on the door and heard the cough, his back straightened immediately. As Harry's voice traveled into his mind, he growled and shoved forward with all the force he had, lurching from the stall. Harry couldn't be trusted. He grabbed ahold of the other boy's shirt, pushing him roughly in front of him before pointing his wand at him. "Snooping again, Potter? What is it that you hope to find? Is it blackmail you're looking for?"

Stumbling, Harry sputtered slightly before pulling out his own wand. He wasn't sure why he had been caught so off guard, as he shouldn't have been surprised. This was the reaction Draco was bound to have. But for some reason, just a sliver of him had hoped. For what, he wasn't sure. But there had been some hope. "No, that's not-" He gasped out, but Draco interrupted, taking a threatening step forward and making Harry back up.

"Because you can have it! Just take it, Potter! Just take whatever it is you want because I have nothing left to give. They've taken…" He let out a choked sound then, his wand hand wavering. "Everything." Swallowing now, he shook his head roughly. "What is that you came in here for, then? To mock me?"

Harry felt frustration swell up in him then as he watched Draco, lowering his wand. "No, I was…I wanted to know what you were hiding. But when I got here, I could hear you…"

"Crying." Draco spat out, shame flashing through his eyes. "You heard me crying. Poor Malfoy, poor privileged Malfoy. That's what you were thinking, wasn't it? What do I have to cry about? What could I possibly be wanting in my life?" His jaw wavered then and he lowered his wand only slightly. "You can just run off and tell all your little friends what you saw. Granger and Weasley…go ahead. I don't care."

"Yes, you do." Harry's voice was quiet, his eyes moving over Draco's face curiously. He still wasn't very sure why he was still standing there. What he was waiting for. Hell, he couldn't even answer Draco's question, because he no longer knew why he was really there. All he knew was that there was pain behind those gray eyes. Not just anger, or resentment, or fear for himself. There was pain. And maybe that's what had sent him running after him, more than curiosity. More than suspicion. But the need to help him in some way. The need to show him that he wasn't alone. "And I won't tell anyone. I just-" He bit his lip for a moment, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. "I was…"

"Spit it out, Potter!" Draco growled, his wand coming to full attention now, but his eyes staying on Harry's, his pupils wide.

Harry let out a rushed breath then, clenching his fist at his side. "I was worried about you." He gasped, his eyes widening in surprise at his words.

A silence hung in the air for a moment, but before Harry could even think of taking back his words, Draco was moving forward. His wand thrown aside, he grabbed ahold of Harry's robes with two hands before backing him up and slamming him against the mirrored wall. Harry gasped, his eyes still locked on Draco's, his chest heaving in what he told himself was fear. But it was simply anticipation.

"Worried about me." Draco hissed out, clenching his jaw once more. His eyes moved across Harry's face before meeting his eyes, seemingly trying to find his true intentions. His own heart was in his throat, but he pushing it down, trying to ignore how Harry's chest felt against his. Pulling his legs away from Harry, he leaned in. "And why on earth would you be worried about me? I'm evil, after all. Mean, horrible, spiteful. And I hate every single thing about you and your pathetic little friends. You all disgust me and I make that evident. Why would you ever worry about me?"

Harry took in a deep breath, trying to steady his heart as he took his turn to search Draco's eyes. "Because everyone deserves a chance." He gasped. "That may all be true, Malfoy…but you're not a bad person. You didn't start out as one. You don't have to end as one. You…" He let out a sigh then, his eyes slowly trailing to Draco's lips. "Deserve a chance."

Another silence filled the chamber then as their eyes met again, green against grey. And before Harry could say another word, Draco had pressed forward, his lips crashing against his and a groan filling any space they left between them. Harry slammed against the wall again and his arm swung around to pull Draco closer, but the blond resisted. Pressing his tongue into Harry's mouth, he grabbed his hands and pushed them roughly to his sides and into the wall. Draco's fingers curled around his wrists and his kiss turned desperate, his leg spreading Harry's. Pushing against him now, he smirked in satisfaction at the whimper Harry let loose.

As Draco pulled back for air, he bit against Harry's lips gently, before trailing his over his jaw and down his neck. "Tell who you want about the pity and the tears." He growled, smoothing his tongue along the curve of Harry's neck and rolling his hips into his. "But tell anyone…anyone at all about this, and you'll regret it." Letting go of his wrists now, he backed away. "I wouldn't worry about me, Potter. I think I'll be just fine."

And when Harry opened his eyes, Draco was gone. Letting out a long breath, Harry slumped against the wall. Yes, if he had it his way…everything would be just fine.


End file.
